Page 44 of Too Close To Home

Deacon clocked that too.

So Jake rubbed at the faint stain on his hoodie as if it suddenly mattered. As if Harrison hadn’t seen him twenty minutes ago with ketchup on his chin. As if the man’s gaze hadn’t lingered a fraction too long at it.

Harrison gave a small nod of recognition. “Mr Whitton.”

Jake had to consciously pull air into his lungs. “Detective.”

“Is that your van outside?” There was that slight movement at the corner of Harrison’s mouth again. Not quite a smile. Not quite neutral. Something restrained.

“Uh… aye.”

“You’ve been given a ticket.”

Jake huffed. “Bastards.”

“Hm.” Harrison’s tone was mild. Dry. But not unkind. “It might be an idea to move it.”

“Aye, will do. I was just…asking Deac about…the girl.”

Harrison tucked a hand into his pocket to retrieve a notebook. “Looks like you’re still two steps ahead of me.”

Jake leaned his hip against the desk for balance, pretending the shift was casual. “Aye. Well. I might’ve stalled on my investigation. You’ll overtake me, now.”

“Oh?” Harrison tilted his neck. “How come?”

“Turns out I don’t know what she looks like.”

“Ah.” Harrison pressed his lips together.

And for one dangerous second, Jake thought he might laugh. And if it had been mocking, he wasn’t sure he’d have handled it well. But it wasn’t. It was a sort of controlled. Warm at the edges, too. As if he respected the admission and understood what it had taken for Jake to realise he was out of his depth.

Harrison flipped open his notebook. “I did warn you, Mr Whitton, that people who insert themselves into my investigations have a tendency to draw my attention.”

Jake held his gaze. “And am I?”

Harrison raised an eyebrow.

Jake chewed on his lips to hide a really inappropriate smile. “Drawing your attention?”

A beat passed.

“Hm.” Harrison looked down at his notebook. “Inconveniently so. And you seem remarkably determined to keep doing it.”

Jake opened his mouth, the comeback already there.

Then it wasn’t.

Because there were at least two ways to take that and judging by the brief flash in Harrison’s eyes before he looked away, Jake wasn’t entirely convinced the detective hadn’t heard the second one too.

Thankfully, Deacon chose that moment to drop an elbow onto the desk and waggled a finger between them.

“You two know each other?”

“We crossed paths this morning.” Harrison peered up at Jake. “Several times.”

Deacon snorted. Then arched one slow, knowing eyebrow at Jake.

Jake didn’t react to it.